Oral history interview with Joseph J. Menditto recorded on 2004 Aug. 26

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Title	Oral history interview with Joseph J. Menditto recorded on 2004 Aug. 26
Alternate title	Joseph J. Menditto
Description	Interview with Joseph J. Menditto of New Britain, CT conducted by Eileen Hurst. Menditto was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and was sent to Camp Gruber in Oklahoma for basic training. There he had military intelligence training, learning how to operate observation posts for the front lines. His battalion shipped out in October of 1943 for North Africa in a convoy of 105 ships. The large number of ships helped to defer the possibility of being torpedoed by German submarines. Menditto's company remained in North Africa for 4 months before sailing to Italy to back up forces there. There Menditto, fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino, and witnessed a friend from New Britain sustain injuries that led to the amputation of both his legs. Menditto describes the procedure followed by the radio man, in particular the procedures they followed during the Battle for Santa Maria Infante. Menditto also describes his experiences in Angio, Italy, where it was his unit's job to cut off the use of the road to the German soldiers who were using it to receive supplies. It was also at this time that the U.S. soldiers ran low on supplies and became desperate for food at times. He describes the hard conditions that the soldiers were met with. It was in Mount Capello, Italy, that Meditto was injured not once but twice. After healing in a hospital in Rome, he was sent back to the front in Bologna, which was attacked just before the end of the war was announced. After volunteering to help return German POW's to Munich, Menditto was shipped to the United States where he was discharged at Fort Bragg. Menditto returned to New Britain, and joined the VFW, the American Legion, and the Elks. He remained in touch with many of his unit members through yearly reunions. Menditto's experiences during the Battle of Monte Cassino were also documented in the book "Monte Cassino: the Hardest Fought Battle of World War II" by Matthew Parker.
Coverage	1942-1945
Date Original	08/26/2004
Digital Format	video/x-ms-wmv
Duration	01:45:04
Contributors	Hurst, Eileen
Software	Windows Media Player required for viewing.
Access Restrictions and Permissions	No access restrictions. For permission to reproduce contact Central Connecticut State University, Center for Public Policy and Social Research at (860) 832-2976
Image Identifier	VHP2004/12.IVa
Collection	Veterans History Project
Creator/Owner	Menditto, Joseph J.
War or Conflict	World War, 1939-1945
Branch of Service	United States. Army
Unit of Service	Headquarters Company, 2nd battalion
Rank	Private First Class
Status	Veteran
Subject	World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Italy World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American Veterans -- Connecticut -- Interviews Cassino, Battle of, Cassino, Italy, 1944 World War, 1939-1945 -- Military intelligence United States. Army
Geographic Location	New Britain (Conn.) Camp Gruber (Okla.) Africa, North Italy
Publisher	Central Connecticut State University. Center for Public Policy and Social Research
Language	eng
Relation	Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Type of Resource	Moving image
Citation	Joseph J. Menditto Papers. VHP2004/12. Central Connecticut State University; Center for Public Policy and Social Research.
Transcript	Interactive transcript available on Youtube.com http://youtu.be/9Y4lKYBDfs4
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Oral history interview with Joseph J. Menditto recorded on 2004 Aug. 26

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